West Ham 1 - West Brom 1: Winston Reid's own goal ensures point for Tony Pulis' side

WEST HAM manager Slaven Bilic is suddenly short of attacking options after the club’s injury curse struck again.

West Ham forward Mauro Zarate hitting his goal-bound free kick against West Brom

In the second half of this encounter with West Bromwich Albion, Diafra Sakho became the latest visitor to the treatment room. The Senegal striker injured his left thigh muscle with a 71st-minute shot.

Given that French playmaker Dimitri Payet is out for three months, Ecuadorian Enner Valencia is still not available and Andy Carroll only returned recently from a lengthy absence, Bilic now has a number of selection headaches up front.

“We’re still waiting until the specialists see him,” he said. “But it doesn’t look good. It’s a muscle injury, a big blow for us. He’s our key player.

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“We have lost players in those positions and they are hard to replace. As a result we have to change the system. But moaning or commenting isn’t going to help us at all. We have to continue to pick up the points.”

West Ham took the lead in the 17th minute when Zarate delivered a stunning free-kick that zipped up and over the defensive wall and empathically beat Albion goalkeeper Boaz Myhill.

Yet after an awfully poor first-half display, Albion rescued a point when manager Tony Pulis changed the formation and bringing on Rickie Lambert to replace the disappointing Stephane Sessegnon.

The former England forward gave the visitors a lifeline when he smashed home a loose ball that cannoned off the right hand of West Ham defender Winston Reid and over the line for an own goal.

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Rickie Lambert celebrates the Baggies' equaliser at Upton Park

Lambert has had to bide his time in the Black County since arriving from Liverpool for £3million. This was the 10th time he has appeared in the Premier League having come off the substitutes’ bench.

Pulis said: “Ricky is a wonderful pro. He hasn’t played as many games as he wants but he is a real throwback to the time times when footballers care about football.”